If Tomorrow Never Comes
by Kennie Barton
Summary: A two part story featuring Will and Alyss together one morning at their home in Redmont. Upon request, a second part has been added depicting the morning of the accident that forever separated WIll and Alyss. Both consider their relationship with the other, questioning if the other knew how much they truly loved them. Inspired by "If Tomorrow Never Comes" by Garth Brooks.
1. Chapter 1

The deep steady rhythm of her breathing was the only thing that soothed his tormented mind. Dawn was breaking through the small window of their room, her pale hair was sprawled out on the pillow. She had a small smile pulling on her lips, she was everything. He felt a smile spreading on his face as looked upon his sleeping wife.  
He would have to leave, that morning. Halt had told him the night before about their next assignment, they would be leaving to meet Horace on the road. It seemed they could never be together; their jobs had them traveling too often.  
How long would they be apart this time? How long until he could see her again? When would be the next time he could look in her eyes and let her know how much he loves her? He reached up, caressing her face with his rough calloused hands, bending down to kiss her forehead.  
She would be leaving too, heading north for Lady Pauline. Halt had told Will about the upcoming assignment for Alyss, a simple task but one that would separate them even longer. She sighed happily, her eyes fluttering open to look at him. Her smile growing over her angelic face.  
"I didn't mean to wake you," he smiled, kissing her on the cheek.  
"You didn't," she sat up in their bed, stretching as she set her feet on the floor. "Shall I make breakfast?"  
"I don't have time," he sighed following his wife out of the room, his boots whispering over the freshly swept floor, he had already completed the household chores for her. "I'm sure Halt's already waiting for me."  
"Halt can have breakfast too," her sweet smile flashed over her shoulder at him as she carried the coffeepot out to fill from the barrel by the veranda.  
"I'm afraid he'll insist we leave," Will watched Alyss from the doorway, watching her graceful frame in the golden glow of the rising sun. All around them the birds were singing as they began their day. What he would give to have breakfast with her before he set off with Halt to meet Horace. "Gilan said it was urgent."  
"It's always urgent with Rangers," she smiled passing him in the door, her hand gently drawing him in by the shoulder. "And what better way to begin a trip than with a hot meal and fresh coffee?"  
He had to concede the point, the trip would be dismal if he rode out without breakfast, and he would be in a foul mood without at least one cup of coffee. He allowed himself to be lead back into the cabin. Alyss smiled sweetly, allowing the bearded Ranger to assist with the cooking, his arms wrapped around her waist, his head on her shoulder.  
"You're making this difficult," Alyss smiled at her husband.  
"Not nearly as much as you are," he breathed in her scent, grinning. "do you know how hard it is to cook with a person wiggling around in your arms?"  
Alyss laughed, turning to face him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I do," she kissed him.  
He wanted to stay, he wanted to stay with his wife and enjoy the rising sun and the arrival of spring in the clearing. He hated leaving her alone, he hated being away for weeks at a time. He held her close and backed away from stove.  
"Will," she pulled back, her smile spreading. "We don't have time for this. Halt will want to leave."  
She would remind of that, she was a Courier after all. But he still held her, pulling her farther from the meal sitting on the fire. This was a time he wanted with her, this was a rare moment for them. Halt could wait, he would understand. Halt could be understanding, if Alyss told him to be.  
"I love you," he whispered leaning against the table, holding her close to him, burying his face in her long blond hair.  
"I love you too," she folded her hands over his, leaning back against his chest. "I wish I wasn't leaving. I wanted to be here when you got home."  
"I'll be here when you arrive," he whispered, "and then we'll go out to eat with Halt and Pauline at Jenny's."  
She sighed, turning to look him in the eye. "You can't promise that," he knew it was true, her way of keeping disappointment at bay. But he could make that promise to her. They would go to eat at Jenny's with Halt and Pauline as soon as she returned from her assignment. He smiled, forcing his own disappointment down.  
"I can Alyss," he pulled her close again, wrapping his arms around her stomach. "I can make that promise to you, because I know we'll be home together soon." He could see her smile growing. He held her tighter, kissing her on the cheek.

_If tomorrow never comes, will she know how much I loved her? Did I try in every way to show her every day, she's my only one? If my time on earth were through and she must face this world without me, is the love I gave her in the past going to be enough to last, if tomorrow never comes?_  
Will looked down at the arrow protruding from his arm, sweat beading his brow. That had been close, too close. A few centimeters to the right and there was a very real possibility Will Treaty would not have returned to the small cabin outside of Wensley Village.  
He gritted his teeth, reaching up to break off the end of the arrow. Pain radiated down his arm as the shaft split beneath his hand. He ripped off part of his shirt and tied it around his arm, staunching the flow of blood running down his arm. He had to find Halt and Horace, make sure they were unhurt.  
The cry of a Kingfisher sounded from his left. Or something similar to the cry of a Kingfisher came from Will's left. Will returned the call with of a Laughing Kookaburra, letting Halt know he was okay. All that was left was to locate Horace and get out of the area.  
Halt had Horace, Will felt relief flood through him seeing the knight with his former mentor. They had all survived, they had saved a whole farming hamlet and it seemed Will was the only one to suffer an injury.  
"Let me see that," Halt roughly began probing at Will's injury, his small throwing knife coming to his hand to cut the arrow from Will's arm.  
"Careful," Will began before Halt's knife dung into his skin. "Would you please let that—Halt!" Will cried indignantly as the grey bearded Ranger pulled the arrow head from his arm. "I am capable of removing an arrow from my own arm."  
"And I am capable of doing it for you, not be quite while I stitch that up," Halt had his medical kit out in seconds, all the while scolding Will.  
"I'm not a child Halt," Will brooded watching as Halt stitched up the arrow wound.  
"It's just his way of showing he cares," Horace beamed from where he was watching the Ranger's, remembering the time in Gallica when Halt had probed at a large bruise on his arm after a test of strength. "And he's handling yours much nicer than he does my injuries."  
Halt turned a withering look on the knight, "Well, I'm sorry to be concerned. I'll try to hold back next time."  
"Please do," Will grumbled pulling his arm away from Halt and rolling his sleeve down. "Your ministrations are a little painful," Will could not force his smile back, the grin showed just as the gruff Ranger turned back to his former apprentice.

He breathed in the deep fresh air of the cabin, the scent of cedar logs stacked beside the hearth and the spring rain that had heralded his arrival. It was good to be home, and she was already back. Will smiled wrapping his arms around Alyss, lifting her from the ground and spinning around.  
"I love you," she kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he set her back on the ground.  
"I love you, more than you'll ever know," he responded. "I'll never stop loving you."  
_If tomorrow never comes, she will know how much I love her,_ Will smiled walking with his wife across the cabin to the door again. Ready for a long meal with his family, so they would all know how much he cared about them.

**A/N Did you love this? Are you a fan of my writing style? Review and then go check out my other stories, they're waiting for you! And I promise, you'll like them if you loved this.**


	2. Chapter 2

Alyss took a deep breath looking out the window of her room at the crossroads inn. Finally she was going home, after weeks of negotiation with a foolish Baron as a favor to George Carter. That was the last time she agreed to give that man a favor, it was more trouble than it was worth. Behind her the door opened slowly.  
"M'Lady, the innkeep's wife says breakfast is ready," the younger of her guard bowed his head briefly as he spoke, Peter was his name.  
"Thank you Peter, I'll be right down," she smiled at him through the reflection in the glass panes of the window. He nodded his head as he backed out of the room. Alyss stood and turned to the bed, where she had her cloak spread out over the rumpled bed clothes. It had been raining when they had stopped for the night, her cloak had still been damp when she woke.  
And she had woken early, well before sunrise, since that was when she woke at home, when she was with Will. They always got up early to start the household chores; fetching the water, mucking the stable, dusting, sweeping, cleaning the ashes from the hearth, just menial tasks they did together. They spent so little time together that the chores seemed special.  
She pulled the cloak around her shoulders, taking her saddle bags in her hands as she crossed the room to the door. They would be leaving as soon as they ate; it was the schedule she had set for them. That was something else she had picked up from Will: always have a set schedule with an early departure time. She smiled opening the door and starting down the hall.  
A little girl was sitting on the floor outside of one of the rooms; she had a ragdoll in her hand and smiled up at Alyss.  
"Good morning," Alyss smiled kneeling next to the child.  
"Morning," she responded hugging her doll close to her chest. "Poppa said you're a messenger for the King."  
"Your poppa is right," Alyss' smile grew looking down at the girl. "Is he in this room?"  
The girl shook her head, "my poppa owns the inn. He said I could play up here while the guests eat their breakfast."  
"Have you eaten yet?" Alyss asked looking at the doll in her hands, the small hands that clutched at the toy with something close to desperation. Had her father sent her away so the guests could eat and keep her out of their way, or was he just sending her away so he would have to deal with her?  
"Momma gave me some bacon and eggs while poppa cleaned the stable this morning," the little girl answered lightly. "But I'm in the way in the kitchen, so poppa said I can play up here."  
"Are you still hungry?" Alyss asked looking at the thin arms and hollow face. Was the child just naturally small or was she suffering from abuse?  
The little girl shook her head quickly, loosening her grip slightly on the ragdoll. Alyss smiled standing, the girl must just be small. "You can come and eat with me if you want," she offered anyway. The girl smiled again.  
Alyss passed the girl on the floor, moving to the narrow creaking steps that led to the taproom of the inn. Her guard was already seated, steaming plates and mugs between them with a third waiting for her. She sat down, setting her saddlebags on the floor beside her.  
"Good morning, Lady Alyss," the elder of her guard greeted behind his coffee mug.  
"Good morning, Alexander," she responded looking at the laden plate the innkeeper's wife had brought for her. Bacon and eggs, just like the little girl had been offered, with toast and fresh fruit, probably picked the day before from a local farm. Was this special because she was a Courier? Most likely, commoners always treated the Couriers special.  
"Did you see the little girl in the hallway?"  
"Of course," Alexander answered. "It's hard to miss a little thing like that."  
Alyss sighed, picking up her fork to begin her meal, "I asked if she'd eaten."  
"We invited her to join us, she refused," Peter took a drink from his mug, leaning back from the table.  
"She did when I asked her too," Alyss took a bite of the steaming eggs on her plate, sighing once again.  
She hated seeing the little girl look the way she did. She just seemed unhealthy. Alyss wanted a little girl of her own, a daughter to play with, like the innkeeper and his wife had. But she knew she and Will could never have a child, their lives were too dangerous for that simple pleasure.  
They ate silently after that, having nothing to say after three long weeks together. Just as they were finishing the meal was when the shouting started. The guards looked for the source, meaning to stop the arguing before they registered the cause of the commotion.  
"Fire!" the innkeeper's wife shouted running from the kitchens behind the taproom. "The kitchens are on fire, everyone out!"  
The room was in an uproar as the people rushed for the door, pushing and shoving to escape the flames that flickered through the door the woman had come through. The guards and Alyss made it out just as the taproom succumbed to the flames. They turned back to watch in horror as the building smoldered and the heat intensified.  
"Help!" the cry cut the air over the crackling of the burning building. "Someone help me!"  
"Maria," the innkeeper's wife shouted looking up at the second story of the deteriorating building. "Maria, oh Maria!"  
"Momma," the little girl cried from the window, clutching her ragdoll close to her chest. "Momma help me!" Alyss could see the tears streaming down the soot covered face of the little girl.  
"Someone help her," the innkeeper's wife cried covering her face with her hands. "Someone please!"  
"Momma!"  
"I'm going in for her," Alyss ran her hands over the slightly damp cloak. It should get her to the stairs, then she could remove it once she was clear of the flames. She could save that little girl.  
"M'Lady, you can't," Alexander took hold of her arm. "That building is about to collapse."  
"There's a little girl in there," Alyss pulled her arm free and ran for the door.  
_If tomorrow never comes will he know how much I loved him? Did I show him every day that he was the only one? When my time on earth is through, is the love I gave him going to be enough to last?_  
She ran through the taproom, the fire licking at her cloak. She charged up the stairs, unfastening the cloak before it could burn her. The second floor and roof were already enflamed. Smoke filled her lungs as she ran for the room Maria had been playing in front of when Alyss had gone down for breakfast. The door was sitting open, the girl stood at the window, breathing in the fresh air and crying out for help.  
Alyss scooped the child in her arms, "Peter!" she threw the child from the window before the guard could make a response. Maria screamed as she fell, flailing until the point that Peter caught her. Alyss saw the innkeeper's wife rush to the child in Peter's arms before she backed away from the window, ready to run and leap to safety, knowing Peter and Alexander would catch her.  
She as ran across the room again the ceiling collapsed around her. Alyss came to a stop looking around at the flames surrounding her. Her lungs burned as the smoke filled them, her eyes watering as she sought another escape route. This was it.  
"I'm sorry Will," she choked collapsing to the ground. "I'm sorry."  
The roof fell in overtop of her, the fire closed in, the weight of the wooden beams crushed her. She was too weak to move them, too tired to try. She knew there was a possibility that this would happen, but she had to save the little girl. She smiled as the darkness closed in around her, she had saved the little girl.  
_When tomorrow never comes, Will will know how much I loved him. I showed him every day that he was the only one. Now that my time on earth is through, and he has to face the world without me, the love I gave him in the past will be enough to last, now that tomorrow will never come._

**A/N Did you love this? Are you a fan of my writing style? Review and then go check out my other stories, they're waiting for you! And I promise, you'll like them if you loved this.**


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